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The Quickening
' |image= |series= |production=40510-495 |producer(s)= |story= |script=Naren Shankar |director=Rene Auberjonois |imdbref=tt0708634 |guests=Ellen Wheeler as Ekoria, Dylan Haggerty as Epran, Michael Sarrazin as Trevean |previous_production= For the Cause |next_production=To the Death |episode=DS9 S04E023 |airdate= 20 May 1996 |previous_release=(DS9) To the Death (Overall) Basics Part 1 |next_release=Body Parts |story_date(s)=Unknown |group="N"}} (2372) |previous_story=To the Death |next_story=Body Parts }} Summary Dr. Bashir, Major Kira and Lt. Cmdr. Dax travel to a planet that has been attacked by the Jem'Hadar, who have made an example of its people for resisting the Dominion by inflicting upon them an incurable disease called the "blight" that leaves spidery black painful lesions on the body that at a random time (usually before adulthood) will "quicken" into a spreading red form that results in a slow, agonizingly painful death. Bashir and Dax transport to the planet's surface, where they encounter a woman and take her to a hospital. But they soon discover that Trevean, the hospital's "healer," is in reality a man who poisons those who are quickening in order to end their suffering. Bashir wants to help save them, but Trevean insists that there is no cure. However, a woman named Ekoria privately seeks Bashir's help — she is pregnant, and afraid she will not live to have her baby. Bashir and Dax decide to stay and try to find a cure, while Kira leaves in the runabout so the Jem'Hadar — hopefully — won't detect their presence. Bashir then begins studying the disease. With Ekoria as a volunteer, he isolates the virus, but since she is in the dormant phase, he cannot complete his research. However, few people in the quickening stage are willing to help him — even if it means they could be saved. Bashir fixes a boy's broken arm to prove that his healing powers are advanced. However, Trevean tells him that his people have been fooled before, and that no one has yet found a cure. Finally, Epran, a man in the quickening stage, volunteers, and a few days later, Bashir has a makeshift infirmary full of patients, all in a similar condition. He injects everyone with doses of what he believes may be a cure. After a little while, however, Epran suddenly gets dramatically worse. Bashir discovers the virus is mutating. Realizing the electromagnetic fields from his medical instruments are responsible, he frantically shuts down everything, but it's too late — all the patients die horrible, painful deaths. Trevean shows up to put the sufferers out of their misery, while Bashir reflects on his failure. Later, he runs into Ekoria, who has entered the quickening phase. Realizing she will probably die before her child is born, Bashir gains new resolve, then chooses to stay on the planet while Kira and Dax return to the Alpha Quadrant. After drawing Ekoria's blood, Bashir is disappointed to discover that her body has not one trace of the antigen he had given her. Knowing Ekoria will not survive to see her baby born naturally, Bashir decides to induce labor in two weeks. Ekoria's suffering worsens, and Trevean eventually goes to see her, offering to help her and the unborn child die. But Ekoria chooses to give her baby a chance to live, and Trevean wishes her well. Finally, the child is born, and Ekoria lives just long enough to see a miracle. While the antigen did not work on her, her baby is born without lesions — meaning he doesn't have the Blight, and that the fetuses of pregnant women can be vaccinated against it. While Ekoria's generation will die, their children will survive, and her people's suffering will finally end. Errors and Explanations Internet Movie Database Incorrectly regarded as goofs # In the beginning of the episode when Worf walks in holding the Quark mug from the Defiant's mess hall he's holding it sideways. When he demonstrates it holding it sideways plays the music, but it didn't when he walked in. The advertisements are probably designed only to play once per tipping of the mug, just as they play once when com panels are activated, so it had likely finished playing long before Worf entered. Nit Central # gerrybob on Tuesday, September 14, 1999 - 8:15 am: This is another example of a recurring 'nit' I have noticed on DS9. In the majority of cases, when the crew beam down to a planet, it is a primitive culture with very little technology. Often, they live in a small village. This saves budgeting money on items like transportation vehicles, etc. They have yet to beam down to a big bustling techno futuristic (expensive set) city, a la Blade Runner. At least the Cardassian home world had a big video screen. But they were careful not to show any exterior street shots of the Cardassian city, with Cardassian cars, taxis, etc. D.K. Henderson on Thursday, September 16, 1999 - 5:30 am: I got the impression that it had once been a more sophisticated culture, but they had just let everything go to pieces when the disease hit them. # Chris Thomas on Friday, March 10, 2000 - 7:52 pm: When the virus mutates because of the EM fields and everyone Bashir starts to convulse and die, how come the pregnant girls doesn't, given she's been given the same treatment? Is it because she hasn't quickened yet or the fact the antigen has been absorbed into the placenta? If it's the latter, wouldn't Julian wonder why she wasn't suffering and have cottoned on to the fact the antigen may have all gone to the baby, a discovery he could of made before the birth? It could be a combination. # Keith Alan Morgan (Kmorgan) on Thursday, August 31, 2000 - 12:57 am: Supposedly, this planet is 'just outside of Dominion space.' (Wink, wink.) However, 200 years ago the Jem'Haddar t=rashed and infected this planet, so why didn't they spread out into this region? Perhaps they don’t think it’s worth the effort. # Kira has to hide the runabout in a nebula because they detect two Jem'Haddar ships on some kind of 'patrol route.' Clearly the Dominion thinks of this region of space as Dominion space and the Federation didn't get the memo. Many forces regularly patrol border areas, and sometime other people’s territory as well. # Where did the Federation get their maps of the Gamma quadrant? Supposedly they know where Dominion space begins, and they also know the names of star systems that they have never traveled to and know very little about. How do they know that this is the Teplan system? How do they know that the system the Jem'Haddar just patrolled is the Kendi system? dotter31 on Saturday, May 27, 2006 - 6:45 am: In Emissary, after the discovery of the wormhole, the computer in the runabout states that the Idran system (the closest to the Gamma Quadrant end) was charted by the Quadros-One Probe of the Gamma Quadrant. Maybe it also charted or mapped the systems in this episode? Or, even today, we have names for far-off star systems and even galaxies that we have charted with telescopes. As for where Dominion space is, perhaps the Federation acquired that information from the Ferengi, who trade with the Karemma. # Bashir is bothered by Trevean's 'assisted suicides,' but didn't Bashir argue with Kira about letting Vedek Bareil die rather than have his brain replaced with a positronic model in Life Support? True Bashir wasn't slipping poison into his food, but Bareil wasn't asking to die either. Bashir’s reaction here could be in response to what happened with Bareil. # If the Dominion has this kind of biological warfare capability, then why haven't we ever seen it used since? The Dominion seems to overly rely on the brute force of the Jem'Haddar. There is a risk of the bio weapon mutating in a way that would pose a threat to Dominion forces. # Why would it take Starfleet months to mount a relief mission? Isn't Starfleet prepared to leap into action at a moment's notice? They would need to overcome possible objections from other member worlds. # Trevean knows that the planet once had sophisticated technology and it failed to stop the disease. Presumably the doctors two centuries earlier realized that the electromagnetic fields fed the virus. So, why didn't Trevean tell Bashir about this? It may not have occurred to him. # Why didn't Bashir try to find some old medical records? They could have been destroyed. # Since the virus becomes nastier when exposed to electromagnetic fields. Did Bashir turn off his Universal Translator and learn their language? Perhaps the native language is similar enough to English to permit communication. # Dr. Bashir says that he performed his first operation on his teddy bear when he was five. In Doctor Bashir, I Presume, I believe that he said he was five and his classmates were doing better than he, and he was having trouble using the computer. Now if Bashir was having trouble learning to use a computer at age 5, (my niece & nephews started playing computer games at age 2), then why would his mother trust him to handle a pair of scissors & a sharp needle? Daniel Phillips (Danny21) on Monday, July 05, 2010 - 10:14 am: Maybe despite Bashir being 'special' at age 5 he was still good with a needle and thread. A lot of people who struggle with words and numbers and education excel at practical things. Or maybe he actually fixed his teddy at age 6 after he'd been enhanced but he has a few lies set up to keep it quiet that he was a slow learner so he attributes a few of his later successes to himself before the enhancement. # If the vaccine isn't that difficult to make as Bashir states, then why didn't the doctors two centuries earlier discover it? Does it involve some mineral that doesn't exist on this world? Maybe they didn’t have the equipment or knowledge to make the vaccine. # At the end of the episode, everyone on the planet is excited that the next generation will be born without the blight. Apparently, they have forgotten that they are 'just outside of Dominion space' because I don't think the Dominion will be pleased to discover that babies are being born disease free. What is to stop the Jem'Hadar from further trashing the planet and creating a new disease? If they do create a new disease, I doubt that they will allow another Federation ship to just waltz right in and create another vaccine. They may not consider it worth the effort! Besides, the vaccine may bestow immunity to altered versions of the blight. # Joel Croteau (Jcroteau) on Wednesday, November 09, 2005 - 4:16 pm: Isn't Bashir's helping these people a violation of the prime directive? LUIGI NOVI on Wednesday, November 09, 2005 - 8:37 pm: I'm not sure about that. They have knowledge of alien life that predates Bashir's arrival, and if they ask for help, I don't think it's a violation. Notes Category:Episodes Category:Deep Space Nine